Intel® vPro™ Platform Solution Manager Crashing on Connect

Intel® vPro™ Platform Solution Manager Crashing on Connect

I am trying to use the Intel® vPro™ Platform Solution Manager to connect to a machine.

I enter all the machine data including IP address, username, and password, but when I press connect(or let it autoconnect) I see the following error and the program crashes.

Exception: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
Source: HLAPI
Stack Trace: at HLAPI.Wireless.WirelessWSMAN.GetLinkPolicy()
at HLAPI.Wireless.WirelessManager.GetWiFiLinkPolicy()
at HLAPI.GeneralInfo.GeneralInfoManager.RemoveWirelessIfNotSupported(List`1& supportedFeatures)
at HLAPI.GeneralInfo.GeneralInfoManager.GetSupportedFeatures()
at Intel.Manageability.Impl.AMTInstanceManager.get_SupportedFeatures()
at Intel.Ucrd.vProPlatformSolutionManager.Controls.CtrlSystem.<>c__DisplayClasse.<ConnectEx>b__9()

I have not set up a wireless profile. All my devices are connected by LAN to routers which communicate by cell network.

On some of my machines I am seeing an error while using the ACU. I get the error "ConnectServer: A call to this function has failed - (0xc000278b) (Invalid namespace -2147217394)" but ACU exits with success saying I am in client control mode and I can connect with VNC, remote web control, and set the AMT alarm clock.

When I run the platform solution manager I can see it start to connect, read out a version number, then I get this crash info.

Update: The developers are working on a fix - no timeline yet for when a new release would be available. However, the problem appears to be in the 32 bit version. Would you be able to run the 64bit version on a 64bit OS?

My only question is if there could be a way to have the KVM start without user consent. In my profile I have it set up to do that, If we could have a radio button for with/without consent and the separate password that would be a great addition since AMT supports that.

Also, does it only recognize alarm clocks set through the manager? I could not see alarms I set up using powershell scripts locally.

That's great! (on the VPSM) For KVM, it matters which mode the system is provisioned for (Admin vs Client.). I believe that there is also an option in the MEBx menus that you need to set for whether or not it is required.

In Client Control mode, user consent is always required. In Admin Control mode, user consent can be disabled (subject to the AMT_GeneralSettings.PrivacyLevel property). When user consent is enabled, attempting to initiate a redirection session (IDE-R or KVM) or to set a boot option causes a Sprite containing a User Consent Code to be displayed to the user. The user will have to provide this code to the remote IT administrator to enter the Consent Code to gain access. Once the correct Consent Code is entered, it enables all types of redirection sessions.

See User Consent for the commands and flows used to manage the user consent feature.

The AMT alarm clock can be set by any of the AMT tools (including Intel PSM), but doesn't recognize any settings from non AMT tools like powershell. Also be aware that with AMT 8 there are 5 additional new alarms which are set differently and older tools are not aware of these new alarms. More information is available here: AMT Implementation and Reference Guide.

Hello again,
After successfully testing vPro PSM to remotely manage AMT clients, I had provided instructions to my customer to do the same. However, during his testing he found that "VNC Plus KVM Viewer" was grayed out. I was perplexed by this as I had no such problem even after trying afresh with a new re-installation and re-configuration. I can confirm that his client machine has AMT configured to allow KVM access.

We are both using the same motherboard/BIOS/CPU with only major difference being the amount of RAM. We have both tried Win7x86 and Win7x64 versions with vProPSM on the server-side.
Please see the attached screenshot of my customer's server machine; he can successfully connect and control the client machine using WebUI--but requires KVM video output to access the client machine's BIOS.

1) Yes, he had tried both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of vPro Platform Solution Manager on two different workstations within the same network.
2) No, we had considered the VNC license a possible issue; but he had never installed it before. So he should at least be eligible for the 60-day trial

I think a key bit of info that I left out is: he does not even have the option to install the VNC KVM Viewer plugin.

So I've just setup and configured a new AMT client again using an external video card and my workstation was still able to see the option to install VNC plugin. After the installation, I am unable to successfully connect on the KVM Viewer, as expected.
However, my customer's problem is that he has not and can not even install the VNC plugin to begin with. So he hasn't gotten so far as to even begin testing KVM redirection yet. But I am guessing that the issue is not related to configuration because his Power Management, IDE Redirection plugins are working correctly.

Please check their processor and chipset on the failing systems. Thanks to Intel Biz Support for mentioning that the screen shot is showing only Standard Manageability and not full Intel® vPro™ Technology. Intel® Standard Manageability does not include KVM support.